Nakuru Level 5 Hospital set for Sh330m upgrade

Nakuru Level Five Hospital has embarked on a major facelift in response to the increased number of patients seeking services at the facility.

The hospital serves more than five counties in the South Rift region.

The Sh330 million project will entail expansion of the maternity wing and other departments.

Governor Kinuthia Mbugua, who inspected the project, said upon completion the hospital would be a model referral facility.

“Most of the projects are in completion phase and we are looking forward to their launch,” he said.

He, however, expressed regret that there had been some technical hitches that have stalled a project to construct a trauma centre funded by the national government.

“The project happened during the transition to devolution but I am optimistic that the issues will be resolved,” the governor said.

According to the medical Superintendent at the hospital Dr John Murima, upon completion, it will be the second biggest maternal complex in the country after Pumwani Maternity in Nairobi.

“The mother and baby centre will have an additional of 48 labour wards on top of the existing nine wards.

“This will go a long way, considering Nakuru as one of the leading counties in infants’ mortality rates,” he said.

There are also plans to have four theatres to carry out pregnancy related operations.

“Currently we do up to 40 deliveries in a day which has been overstretching the facility due to the limited capacity,” said Dr Murima, adding that the project, which kicked off in April, is set to be completed in two years.

There is also an effort to ease congestion in the hospital’s laboratory, with the construction of another inpatient laboratory at a cost of Sh8 million.

“This will be purely for the in-patients and it will ensure faster and more efficient process of laboratory tests. Initially, both the in-patients and the out-patients have been served in the same laboratory,” he said.

The medical superintendent at the same time said the facility is ready to handle any eventuality during and after August 8 General Election.

“The hospital is fully equipped with the necessary drugs and essential materials and is capable of supplying to other county hospitals in both public and private sectors in case of shortage,” said Dr Murima.
He added that houses for seven doctors had been completed to improve efficiency in emergency response.

“We want to ensure that doctors are within reach any time of the day they are needed,” the medical superintendent said.

The hospital mortuary, which currently has a 24-body capacity, has not been left out — the facility has since been expanded to a 96-body capacity.